This spring, The Houssian Foundation launched a pilot initiative: the Daylight Fund. Grown out of conversations with community partners and grounded in a commitment to safety and justice, the goal of the Daylight Fund is to support organizations working on the frontlines of gender-based safety.
We learnt very quickly through the applications that safety is complex and comes in many forms; physical, emotional, spiritual and more, and that the solutions to address gender-based safety are as varied as the needs. We sought to fund organizations that met a wide-range of needs.
Today, we are honoured to announce the 38 organizations receiving support through the Daylight Fund.
Selected from over 350 applications totaling over $8.5 million dollars of requests, these grantees reflect a wide range of local knowledge, lived experience, and collective care. Grants range from $10,000 to $25,000, with $500,000 in total funding distributed to programs across the country.
Importantly, all funding decisions were made by a participatory Advisory Committee comprised of people with lived expertise and professional experience.
Women and gender-diverse people across Canada are currently experiencing rising levels of violence, increased discrimination, and mounting barriers to safe housing, healthcare, and community support.
The conditions that should foster safety, stable shelter, affirming care, freedom from harm are increasingly out of reach, especially in rural and remote areas across the country.
The Daylight Fund responds to this urgent reality.
We are grateful to everyone who applied, to our advisors who guided the process, and to the grantees who are creating and supporting safety for women and gender diverse people every single day.